Nationwide Account Probate?

sounds

Hi guys,

I hope someone can just give me some quick advice.
My mum passed away and I have dealt with several financial institutions to close her accounts. Not a large estate just four accounts and insurances, no property.
HSBC, Co-Op, Post Office with no trouble and some great service, especially from HSBC.
I have thus far only had to present the death certificate and a (solicitor) certified copy of the will on which I am named as sole executor and beneficiary and appropriate ID for myself.

I only have Nationwide left to deal with and having contacted them by phone not personally yet according to the form they told me to fill in I need Probate or Letters of Administration, or a signature form a solicitor on their form as the account holds slightly more than £5k.

Are they that strict? Or will I have to shell out for a solicitor?
Their Bereavement form says

This section must be signed and officially stamped by a Solicitor/Commissioner for Oaths after they have checked the contents of the form. This section must be completed in any case where the total balance is above £5,000 unless Grant of Probate Letters of Confirmation/Administration have been applied for or obtained.

Has anyone had experience of dealing with the Nationwide with regards to a situation like this?
As with most people I just want to get it over and done with as little hassle and cost as possible.

thanks in advance

Charles

flossy_splodge

each financial institution has set their own limits as to what level of risk they will accept which means that eg barclays have set their level at £15000 so it is possible to get access to funds with Barclays providing the TOTAL money held with them by the person who has died is less than £15000.
The other financial institutions have each got their own level. eg I am told the Halifax has a limit of £30,000 altho I have not yet tested this one.
Their reasoning is they accept bills will need to be paid before Probate is granted (if it is needed) so they work out their own risk acceptable level that if they release money which is later proven should NOT have been released they are only at risk of loss within their own boundaries.
Some have small limits and Nationwide might well be one of those.
I will try and find out what their level is and post back.

Mrs_Supersaver_1

Hi, I'm sorry for your loss.

I lost my husband earlier this year and recently dealt with Halifax and it is not 30k they set their limit at before you are able to access a deceases funds.

Would it be possible for you to phone a couple of local solicitors and get a cost quote for their signature on the Nationwide form?

I was given the option of waiting xx amount of weeks for the grant of probate to be ready or getting a local solicitor to sign and stamp the oath from the court. It cost £10.
I am sure if you explain clearly it will take 2 mins and a signature on the Nationwide form they may be helpful to you.

I will add of all the banks/BS I used Halifax were the most unhelpful and gave incorrect information. Whilst I have had excellent help from Nat.West, Coventry, Ns&i, Co-op and Barclays.

Good Luck.

John_Pierpoint

I too have found HSBC the best organised of the banks, when it comes to "bereavement" situations.

As the estate is greater than £5,000 and not all in joint accounts, I would doubt you are covered by The Administration of Estates (Small Payments) Act 1965 so you need to apply for a grant of representation = Probate if there is a will and Letters of Administration if there is not a will.

What is the problem with waiting until you have the grant of representation before sending off one of the embossed certificates to the Nationwide?

Personally I am glad to see that the Nationwide is applying the law, this part of the forum is much too full of "my uncle has emptied grandmother's account........" type of stories.

flossy_splodge

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

As the estate is greater than £5,000 and not all in joint accounts, I would doubt you are covered by The Administration of Estates (Small Payments) Act 1965 so you need to apply for a grant of representation = Probate if there is a will and Letters of Administration if there is not a will.

This is not so.
I have actually been able to access funds in these circumstances.

I have found Barclays to be the best help so far.
Good luck.

sounds

Hi guys

And thanks for the advice!

In answer to John's point, the thing that always rankles with me is that my mother bothered to make a will and even that is not good enough despite the fact its signed and sealed by a solicitor!

If I have to bite the bullet with Nationwide I will but it just seems to me there is too much money in death for solicitors or the legal fraternity.
The sum not to go above with the Nationwide is £5k.
I have just read the link Nationwide sent me again and it is indeed ambiguous, so I will sought further confirmation.
There are two forms on their website that contradict each other

Charles

John_Pierpoint

You don't need to use a solicitor to obtain the grant of representation ("probate" / "Letters of Administration"), unless the deceased appointed a solicitor as an executor in a will.

flossy_splodge

sounds wrote: »

Hi guys

And thanks for the advice!

In answer to John's point, the thing that always rankles with me is that my mother bothered to make a will and even that is not good enough despite the fact its signed and sealed by a solicitor!

If I have to bite the bullet with Nationwide I will but it just seems to me there is too much money in death for solicitors or the legal fraternity.
The sum not to go above with the Nationwide is £5k.
I have just read the link Nationwide sent me again and it is indeed ambiguous, so I will sought further confirmation.
There are two forms on their website that contradict each other

Charles

I personally wouldn't be even bothering to look at what's on the website, I'd be to the branch and an appointment with the manager.
Face to face seems to yield so much better results.
Good luck.

John_Pierpoint

The Citizens Advice Bureau is in two minds.
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/relationships_w/relationships_death_and_wills_e/dealing_with_the_financial_affairs_of_someone_who_has_died.htm#do_you_always_need_probate_or_letters_of_administration
I agree that if you can get away with it in this situation why not? The only "victim" appears to be some future member of the family trying to trace the history of their ancestors and perhaps jumping to the conclusion that a female relative died a pauper.

My next door neighbour but one about 15 years ago was a semi derelict property under notice of compulsory purchase. Some fraudster had used that address to steal about £5,000 from Nationwide by means of an unsecured loan. [The postie, realising that nobody could be living there, sportingly dumped the mail into my mail box]
Just by chance, my savings with Nationwide were almost exactly the same value as the loan stolen by the fraudster.
So I went along to the AGM, and listened to boring complaints about the rudeness of staff in the branch in Loose Chippings.

So I stood up and produced an elephant in the room effect when I told my story. The chairman did not like the idea that his organisation was nothing more than a conduit between small savers and fraudsters.

Perhaps in my little way, I did my bit in stiffening the resolve of Nationwide to protect the deposits of its savers.

By the way this may be a totally inappropriate place but I would like to congratulate the "bad" borrowers of the "bad" bank, and its staff at:
Northern Rock Asset Management.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10224930/Northern-Rock-bad-bank-repays-1.9bn-to-taxpayer.html

Those of you who have stuck with it and not copped out of the contracts you made, have done more to prove that not all of Britain is on the slippery slope from Edwardian rectitude to banana republic, than any posturing "something for nothing" politician ever will.

Thanks for helping retain the faith of all those foreigners who have lent us money to stop us going the way of Greece.

Molly2473

I have Grant Of Probate, but I went into the branch, insist on seeing the manager, take all you have and see what they say, if you need to get a letter of administration then you will have to do it.
but appeal to their good sense as your the only beneficiary and its very clear cut you might be ok.
Good luck

AMILLIONDOLLARS

Good luck with the Nationwide, my Solicitors have been trying to tie up probate for me in relation to my late husband. We have been going around in circles, found them very unhelpful!

You might have better luck than me!

AMD